Meteor flashes over northern Vermont sky

A loud, fiery 10 lb. six-inch wide meteor flashed over Northeastern Vermont Sunday evening, according to NASA Meteor Watch. It took about 5-6 seconds to burn up, which made it easy to see. Its passing sounded “like big trucks crashing,” according to young eyewitnesses in Johnson.

Open Letter to Sen. Patrick Leahy on Equality Act – and his response

black mother taking baby sitting near father

Heterosexual marriage must not be denigrated as a “stereotype.” Both human history and modern academic studies show us that heterosexual marriage is not only the most enduring bond between adults, it is by far the most beneficial to children. By any meaningful standard – emotional security, educational and employment achievement, freedom from substance abuse, future family happiness – heterosexual marriage benefits children the most. While government should not discriminate against parents who do not fit this mold, government should unapologetically support the heterosexual family – not denigrate or dismantle it.

Heather Sheppard

Today, as I prepare to write about crossover in the Vermont Legislature and a meteor that flashed across the Vermont sky Sunday night, my heart is with the family of a dear friend, Heather Sheppard, who blazed her own beautiful path until Sunday morning at 11:55 when she crossed over into eternity.

Gun carry ban limited to hospitals

A new version of the S30, Chittenden Sen. Phil Baruth’s proposed ban on carrying firearms in many public places, strikes all the previous wording and establishes a single new criminal punishment for carrying a gun inside a hospital. It also includes a study to determine if the policy prohibiting firearms at the Statehouse is sufficient or if it needs to be “strengthened” through legislation.

Maria von Trapp: A place called Vermont

The story of the music-filled lives of the von Trapp Family Singers, their performance at the Salzburg Music Festival, how Maria met Capt. Georg von Trapp and his children, and the family’s escape from Nazi-annexed Austria in 1938 (just before war erupted), is well known. The family’s eventual relocation to the USA is also frequently recounted. But what few know is how the Von Trapps came to call Stowe, Vermont, their new home.

Blakeney: Speak Truth Firmly to Evil

America has been the anchor of western civilization for the last century. Today we no longer articulate our values and principles. We listen constantly to leftist crap. This is the reason we have drifted so far off our moorings. It is time to stand for something.

Vermont last in state funding in $1.9 trillion Recovery bill

Vermont ranks last in projected allocations to states from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act passed by the House of Representatives, according to a March 3 report by Congressional Research Service. The Act now goes to the U.S. Senate, where a tough battle is expected over its inclusion of a national $15 minimum wage and other controversial features.

Gagne: when some lives are dispensable, all are diminished

On Feb. 11th the Vermont House of Representatives introduced H248, a bill declaring that an unborn baby, beginning at 24 weeks gestation, is a legal person. Due to the miracles of modern medicine, babies have survived at even earlier than 24 weeks. At the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 triplets at 22 weeks gestation were born at UVMMC to the McShane family. Cian, born 12/28/19, weighed 1.08 lb.. Declan, born 1/2/20 weighed 1.47 lb. and Rowan, born 1/2/20 weighed 1.08 lb.. These three babies were discharged from UVMMC on July 15th, 2020 after reaching normal milestones in growth and development.

Next phase of vaccine rollout announced

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Governor Phil Scott today announced that the next phase of the State’s vaccination efforts will begin on March 8 for Vermonters with certain high-risk conditions. With additional supply coming to the state, Governor Scott also unveiled a new track of the vaccine rollout starting next week to include school staff and childcare providers, as well as an expansion of the definition of first responders under Phase 1A.

Vermont: reactive or reactionary?

Our ship of state is captained from the stern. We scan our wake for bad signs. A corpse floats by — we need a law. A raw sewage dump or fish-kill fouls our wake — we need a law. A powerboat swamps a canoe — we need a law. The water doesn’t freeze in February — we need a law.

GOP disunity on display in wake of LaMarche resignation

In addition to his constant nasty comments on social media and in the press Kolby upset many Burlington party members by unilaterally deciding not to run candidates in Burlington’s elections next month. His rationale was that the city GOP has been so tarnished by President Trump that it must be remade by him before participating in the electoral process again.

New House bills: cops lose pensions for excessive force; raise income tax; limit cash bail; gun background checks; Legislature picks National Guard leader candidates – etc.

New House bills would take pension from cops found guilty of excessive force; create “Youth Council”; reduce cash bail; raise income tax; give Legislature nominating board control over candidates for National Guard leadership; increase water quality monitoring and reporting. Also – a bill for background checks on firearms.

Legislature looks at new school taxes, ignores performance review

The Vermont Tax Structure Commission has delivered its report, and its recommendations should trigger an intense debate. Switching public education support to the income tax and expanding the sales tax to include services will be very controversial. It’s regrettable that the legislature didn’t begin with a performance review, to decide what state government should be doing with $4.5 billion a year, and then address the tax structure needed to pay for it.

When James Bond hunted down a villain on Echo Lake in Vermont

When most of us think of fictional master British spy James “007” Bond, we might imagine the sun-drenched Riviera coast, nasty Karate-chopping villains, or strong female characters played by the likes of actresses Ursula Andress and Honor Blackman. What we probably don’t think about when imagining Mr. Bond is either Vermont’s Echo Lake or New York’s Lake George. Well, it’s time to rethink Secret Agent 007’s fictional espionage playground.

Parkland authorities coddled killer

The Valentine’s Day gift given to Parkland, Florida was the direct result of, a predictable consequence of misunderstood human behavior. Frightening to me is that experts in psychology and human behavior understand well, but this knowledge is being ignored and in its place come Progressive political policies which seek to deny what do many others know.

Vax refusal bill introduced

H.283, providing the right to refuse any unwanted test, treatment, or vaccine, was introduced yesterday into the Vermont House. Sponsored by four Republicans, a Democrat, and an independent, it would specifically prevent employers and state government from requiring vaccination in exchange for jobs, travel, childcare and other benefits.

The mystery of the Champlain Stone

Vermonters and New Yorkers know much about French explorer Samuel de Champlain from his brief exploits along the shores of the great lake that now bears his name. The French explorer made it at least as far south as the future sites of forts Crown Point or Ticonderoga; he most likely battled native people along the lakeshore, in 1609, somewhere near the sites of the famous 18th-century British citadels.

Rest in peace, Rush Limbaugh

My introduction to the Late Great Rush Limbaugh happened in 1989 when I was assigned to the Island of Guam as Administrative Officer of the Naval Station there. His syndicated show came on in the wee hours of the morning. I could just barely pick up the broadcast on my personal small radio. But I strained to hear the broadcast, which fed an inner need of mine.

Taking your medicine

Here in Vermont our bi-weekly briefings given by Governor Phil Scott are currently promoting vaccinations. Like it or not they are experimental at best and with no extensive track record or long-term data to support them.

Spotlight: Legislature grapples with housing costs, regulations

Legislators are debating how to address the lack of affordable housing in Vermont, coming into conflict with the Scott Administration’s proposals to tackle the problem. While both sides have been keen to invest resources in housing over the past several years, there remains a stark divide over whether or not regulatory burdens need to be reduced in order to lower housing costs.

The Tragic Case of Lisa Miller’s encounter with Vermont Family Court

Last month, after more than ten years in hiding, Lisa Miller surrendered herself to American authorities at the U. S. Embassy in Managua, Nicaragua. Miller, now in custody at the federal detention center in Miami, faces kidnapping and conspiracy charges. She’ll likely be found guilty but, in reality, she’s a victim of bad ideas. A mom, attempting to protect her daughter from her own bad choices and our society’s attempt to redefine marriage, parenting, and the family.

Scammer “cops” threaten to arrest senior citizens

According to police, the scammer advises that they are a Deputy with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department (Civil Warrant Processing Unit). The scammer subsequently requests monetary funds via Western Union. The victims are advised that Franklin County Deputies will arrest them in person at their residence if the fines are not paid.